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Posts tagged ‘New Mexico’

1-day drive in the US Southwest: Tucson to Santa Fe

Above/featured: Northeast on US-60/AZ-77, through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, just outside of Show Low, AZ.

The following takes place entirely on the 15th and final day of our drive through the American Southwest. Departing Tucson, Arizona, we headed north and east on AZ-77, US-60, and I-25 into New Mexico for our destination in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We drove through a variety of landscapes in east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico for a mighty 856 kilometres (532 miles).

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El Rancho Hotel, Gallup, New Mexico, US 66, US route 66, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Hotel El Rancho

(October 2018.)

On our 1-day drive from Santa Fe west to Flagstaff, we stopped in Gallup, New Mexico for a few hours. Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup was once a busy railway depot town big on coal, but now is a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway.

Hotel El Rancho exudes what we would call “an old-school charm with the nostalgia of driving culture.” (And for effect, we roll the r’s in Rrrrrrrancho.) Gallup lay along former highway US-66, which explains why the hotel was built in 1938 directly in front of the highway’s route through town. It’s one beaut of a throwback.

I made the two pictures on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-iA2.

El Rancho Hotel, Gallup, New Mexico, US 66, US route 66, USA, fotoeins.com

Main hotel lobby.

History of the Gallup Region, Lloyd Moylan, Federal Art Project, New Deal, McKinley County Courthouse, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Moylan’s “New Deal” mural

(October 2018.)

On our 1-day drive from Santa Fe west to Flagstaff, we stopped in Gallup, New Mexico for a few hours. Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup was once a busy railway depot town big on coal, but now is a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway.

Next to the new county courthouse is the old county courthouse built in 1938. Itself a part of the New Deal Federal Arts Project (1935-1943), the old courthouse building housed a variety of other New Deal art works, including 10-foot murals by Lloyd Moylan up on the inside walls of the historic courtroom. Moylan’s murals “Allegory – History of the Region” show how people’s lives have changed through history of the area.

I made the picture above on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the settings: 1/125-sec, f/4, ISO4000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-izX.

Veteran's Memorial, Courthouse Square, McKinley County Courthouse, Navajo Code Talkers, World War 2, US Marine Corps, Pacific theater, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Navajo Code Talkers Memorial

(October 2018.)

Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup was once an important railway depot town big on coal transports, but now is a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway. Gallup is also considered an unofficial capital of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and gateway into Indian country.

In various visible ways, the town honours the Navajo Code Talkers who were from the Gallup area and served in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. In the plaza in front of the county courthouse is a veterans’ memorial and walkway with column markers to the Spanish-American War, World War 2, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf. One column highlights and honours members of the Navajo Nation who served as Code Talkers in the Pacific Theatre of World War 2.

If it were not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.

– Major Howard Conner, 5 Marine Division Signal Officer.

I made all pictures on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-izT.

Veteran's Memorial, Courthouse Square, McKinley County Courthouse, Navajo Code Talkers, World War 2, US Marine Corps, Pacific theater, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Navajo Code Talkers Memorial.

Veteran's Memorial, Courthouse Square, McKinley County Courthouse, Navajo Code Talkers, World War 2, US Marine Corps, Pacific theater, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Navajo Code Talkers Memorial.

Navajo Code Talkers, Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, Navajo Code Talkers exhibit, Theresa Potter, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Navajo Code Talkers exhibit

(October 2018.)

We stopped in Gallup, New Mexico, for a few hours on our 1-day drive from Santa Fe west to Flagstaff. Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup is considered an unofficial capital of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and gateway into Indian country. Formerly a busy railway depot town big on coal transports, Gallup is now a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway.

Inside the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce is a small exhibition about the Navajo Code Talkers. A key painting by local artist Theresa Potter was unveiled on National Navajo Code Talkers Day in 1982. The accompanying caption reads:

Theresa Potter (1933-1986) was awarded the Navajo Code Talker’s first Medal of Merit in 1984 in recognition of her many years of active support and contributions to the association. In spite of her arthritically-crippled hands, she was a well-known artist who specialized in Southwestern scenes and themes. In 1976, she painted a picture portraying four Code Talkers in a jungle setting, but with visions of their homeland beyond the sacred rainbow. The painting was donated to the Navajo Code Talkers, along with another painting called “Reminiscences.”

I made the picture above on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the settings: 1/60-sec, f/4, ISO1000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-izK.

Navajo Code Talkers, World War 2, US Marine Corps, Pacific theater, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Navajo Code Talkers mural

(October 2018.)

We stopped in Gallup, New Mexico, for a few hours on our 1-day drive from Santa Fe west to Flagstaff. Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup is considered an unofficial capital of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and gateway into Indian country. Formerly a busy railway depot town big on coal transports, Gallup is now a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway.

The town honours the Navajo Code Talkers who served in the Second World War. The 2001 wall mural along South 2nd Street by Be Sargent commemorates the Navajo Code Talkers who were recruited by the U.S. Marine Corps for service in the Pacific Theater during World War 2. Their own Navajo code was never broken during the war. The mural shows the men as they were young and later as aged, as well as various animals familiar to the area.

I made the picture above on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the settings: 1/500-sec, f/11, ISO1000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-ilb.

Santa Fé: fall colours, chile flavours

Above/featured: northbound on I-25 to Santa Fe – 8 Oct 2018 (6D1).

From different parts of the continent, we flew in and out of Santa Fé, which served admirably and comfortably as our base for a couple of day trips to Taos and Abiquiú (Georgia O’Keeffe Country). These would kick off our two-week drive through the American Southwest.

But Santa Fé is also important for these reasons:

•   Established in 1610 as the seat of governance for province of New México within colonial territory Viceroyalty of New Spain.
•   Oldest continuously inhabited state/territorial capital city in the continental United States.
•   Near the northern terminus of 16th-century Spanish colonial Royal Road (Camino Real) from México City.
•   Western terminus of the 19th-century pioneer Santa Fé Trail from Franklin, Missouri.
•   Key destination in the original configuration of 20th-century highway US route-66.
•   A delicious, flavourful, and spicy introduction to New Mexican cuisine.

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1-day drive in the US Southwest: Santa Fe to Flagstaff

Above/featured: Continental Divide. Rising to the north are red Entrada sandstone cliffs (Iyanbito member) from the middle Jurassic period about 170 million years ago. The cliffs are part of a geologic formation extending from northwest New Mexico into northeast Arizona, southeast Utah, and west-central Colorado.

The following takes place entirely within day 8 (of 15) on our drive through the American Southwest. From Santa Fe, New Mexico to our destination Flagstaff, Arizona, the day-long drive began on the short leg I-25 south to Albuquerque. This stretch of I-25 is along a part of the colonial road El Camino Real and parallel to the pre-1937 alignment of the now-famous highway US route 66 (US-66). In Albuquerque, we turned right onto I-40, heading westbound for the New Mexico-Arizona state border and beyond. The total distance was a little over 650 kilometres (400+ miles).

•   Historic Route 66 (US DoT Federal Highway Administration)
•   New Mexico US-66 Association
•   Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona
•   Why Route 66 became America’s most famous road, Vox on YouTube, 16 Aug 2019.

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1-day drive in the US Southwest: Santa Fe to Taos

Above/feature: In the background at right-centre is the sacred Pueblo Peak (Taos Mountain) with a light dusting of autumn snow.

The following takes place entirely within day 7 of our time and drive through the American Southwest.

In a daylong trip from Santa Fe, we’re in Taos for the first time where we meet with nature photographer Jim O’Donnell, whose writings also appear locally in The Taos News. We also marvel in the hamlet of Embudo the collection of paraphernalia associated with American automobile culture at the Classic Gas Museum.

Our drive is on the Low Road in both directions. It’s no real surprise we’re in the Taos area longer than anticipated, but we leave the area a little earlier to catch a couple of sights back in Santa Fe as we must depart the following day for Arizona. It’s curse and benefit, wanting (or needing) to stay in one place for an extended duration with the anticipation of a return, because there’s much more to see and learn.

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1-day drive in the US Southwest: Georgia O’Keeffe country

Above/featured: Ghost Ranch: Chimney Rock is in shadow at centre-right. Photo location: 36.31882 North, 106.48006 West.

This is the start of a series on day trips and drives from our time in the American Southwest. The following takes place entirely within day 7 (of 15) in New Mexico between Santa Fe and Abiquiú.

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) is known as one of the best known modern American artists. Born in Wisconsin and educated in Chicago, her art came to light in New York City where her name and work became prominent. While teaching in Texas, she visited New Mexico for the first time in 1917. She fell in love with the landscape of New Mexico on subsequent visits in the early 1930s, and in 1949 she moved to the Abiquiú area where she would live for the rest of her life.

As fans of her art, we’re taking the day to drive up from Santa Fe to the town of Abiquiú. We wanted to see Georgia O’Keeffe country: the landscapes from which she drew inspiration, and the land that nurtured her spirit and fuelled her creativity.

Before our guided tour of O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú home, we stop at the Purple Adobe Lavender Farm next door to have a look. We like it so much we return after the guided tour to the farm’s café for a snack. We then make the short drive northwest onto the Ghost Ranch property to check out the ancestral lands of the Navajo Apache and Tewa pueblos. O’Keeffe recognized the importance some of that history, as she related in an 1967 interview for the Los Angeles Times’ “West” magazine:

When I think of death I only regret that I will not be able to see this beautiful country anymore, unless the Indians are right and my spirit will walk here after I’m gone.

On our return drive to Santa Fe, the sun sets over our section of the Southern Rocky Mountains, and I swear the late-afternoon breeze whispers the spirits of the Chama river, Georgia O’Keeffe, and all the souls who’ve inhabited the area.

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